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February 20, 2004
DOE admits toxic screw-up
By STEVE TETREAULT When mining operations at the proposed nuclear waste repository began in 1992, workers were given dust masks to shield inhalation of airborne silica particles, but their use was not mandatory, said Margaret Chu, director of the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management. "After 1996, more advanced respiratory protection equipment was provided and its use was enforced," Chu said. Other protections and health screenings were added subsequently, she said. DOE estimates between 1,200 and 1,500 individuals were involved in carving a five-mile exploratory tunnel into Yucca Mountain or participating in experiments to determine its suitability for nuclear waste storage. The department has initiated a screening program to identify how many might have been exposed to toxic levels of silica or other cancer-causing fibers. Chu's remarks came in a letter sent Tuesday to Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., in the wake of reports that some former Yucca Mountain workers have contracted silicosis and other lung ailments they believe stemmed from their work at the site. Former workers said even when worn, masks were ill fitting and of little use against the clouds of dust kicked up during drilling, which was conducted "dry" so as not to interfere with experiments. Reid made the letter public on Wednesday. In turn, Reid urged the Department of Labor to intervene. "On its own, DOE has failed to protect these workers," he said. In a letter prepared to be sent Thursday, Reid asked Labor Secretary Elaine Chao to determine whether the Occupational Safety and Health Administration or the Mine Safety and Health Administration have authority to oversee worker issues at the Yucca site. "Yucca Mountain workers have contracted a fatal illness because DOE wasn't concerned with safety precautions," Reid said in a statement. Chu's four-page letter detailed safeguards implemented from 1995 through 1998 and "rigorous respiratory protections" in place today. DOE officials could not be reached late Wednesday for further comment. Chu said DOE in August 1996 issued a stop work order to TRW Environmental Safety Systems Inc., its main contractor, "due to safety concerns" about respiratory protections for workers and began making improvements. "We do not know definitively how many workers may have been exposed to respirable silica that exceeded the threshold limit value, and we will not know the extent of the potential health impacts until medical evaluations are complete," Chu said. "We are making every effort to identify and locate each of these individuals," Chu said, and is offering them free silicosis screening arranged through the University of Cincinnati. Besides workers, DOE is attempting to contact individuals who made 20 or more entries to the tunnel in a year and will offer them silicosis screens as well, she said. "Only after the medical evaluations are complete and the results have been communicated to the participants will we know the extent of silicosis occurrences," Chu wrote. |
